In the Shade of Memory
by ReachingOutFES
Summary: Simple promises shape them into who they are today. One-shot and this is my first time publishing fanfiction. Please read and review!


**Author's Note: I would like to dedicate this to Miss Hanamura who unfortunately couldn't review and revise it due to computer problems. I hope that she is able to read this and how I appreciate her encouragement. I also like to thank Gin Nanashi for being the beta reader for the one shot. I think that it came out rather well despite doubting yourself at first. I put some BGM for people to listen to while reading. It is not required but recommended. Rating is subjected to change. Enjoy!**

**December 1999**

**BGM~ Memories of the School (Persona 3)**

It had been hours after the accident.

The room was lit only by a lamp that was in the lounge of the police department.

The light was on its way to burning out as it occasionally flickered between on and off.

The blank walls created an atmosphere that resembled a gray room in which a prisoner would spend the rest of his life in.

An officer, slightly chubby and slightly heavy, glanced into the room occasionally to make sure that the room's occupants, two young children, remained there before returning to his desk, eating his takeout.

There was no reason to leave the two children in the dark like that but the lights in that particular room had a tendency to malfunction so the officer was left with no choice but to leave the door open for them.

Speaking of the children, they were sitting in a black leather sofa that acted as both their seat and their bed.

It was somewhat beaten and worn down since there was a hole in the middle, creating a fence between the two.

One of the children was a boy of almost monochrome colors: his hair was an unnatural and dark shade of blue while his eyes were a light grey tinge.

He was wearing a sort of school uniform: a blue jacket that covered his white shirt and red tie along with blue shorts, white socks and brown shoes.

The other child was a girl with rich auburn-colored hair that framed her naturally pale face and large red eyes that were expressive in their own right.

She wore an elementary school styled uniform that consisted of a red top, a red skirt, white socks, grey shoes and was accompanied by a red ribbon.

The two children seemed to be in a daze and did not look at each other until the girl finally spoke up.

"What is going to happen to us now?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Someone else is going to take care of us now. It would probably someone who will want to put up with us. Or someone who is interested in what our parents left behind," the boy responded blandly.

"I can't believe that we lived and they died. Why is that?" she asked after a pause.

"Maybe they wanted us to live a happy life. Isn't it sad for children to die young?" he replied softly.

"I'm afraid that we might be separated from one another. Minato, I don't want that to happen," she admitted with a hint of urgency.

"Hey Minako, do you still have your hairclips?" Minato suddenly asked.

Surprised, Minako turned away as her face flushed a rosy red color.

She searched through the pockets of her skirt before her eyes lit up and she pulled a hand out to reveal a set of white hair clips to her brother.

"You gave these to me for my birthday but...I don't know what to do with them. They look like plain sticks to me." Minako said bashfully.

"If you look closely, then it can be much more." Minato replied almost secretively.

He took the hairclips one by one from her warm hands and shifted around on the sofa before arranging the six hair clips in a purposeful pattern: XXII.

"Is that the roman numeral for the number 22?" Minako asked in interest.

"Right. Think of the hair clips like this: the number 22 has two 2's and there are two of us, together," Minato said.

To illustrate his point, Minato raised his left hand and showed her a peace sign before raising his right hand and making another peace sign.

"Two of us, together," Minako repeated as her lips curled upwards into a smile.

"That's right. Even if we're far apart, we'll always be together in memory." Minato said with a firm nod.

"But still, what should I do with the hair clips? My hair is too short to wear them the way that I wanted to." Minako wondered with a small frown.

"Then grow it out. When your hair is long enough, you can wear it in a variety of ways." Minato replied patiently.

"I think that having long hair is too hard to take care of though. Mom always tied up her hair into a ponytail to make sure it doesn't interfere with her work." Minako pointed out.

"Then grow it out just long enough to wear it as a ponytail. After that, you can use the hair clips to help hold back your hair. I'm sure that will look good on you." Minato said.

"It will look good on me...? Thanks, I'll do that!" Minako replied after a thoughtful moment as her expression shifted from a sad and gloomy frown into a bright and cheerful smile.

"Oh! If I'm going to do that, then you should promise me that you'll do something too... I know! You should make your hair cover half of your face!" Minako smiled with excitement.

"Why would I want to do that?" Minato asked a bit baffled by the strange style that his sister thought up.

"So that I know you'll remember me and recognize me no matter how long we spend far away from each other." Minako answered with her childish logic.

"It's only fair. All right, I promise." Minato replied with a small smile.

Minako couldn't help but smile widely at him.

"Hey, you smiled. I haven't seen that in a long time. But I like that about you, brother. You always listen to other people's problem and encourage them to find their answer." Minako said.

"Even I didn't know I could do that. I guess that sitting back and just listening is the best I can do. But you, Minako, you can talk with anyone and be friends with just about everyone. You do what feels right to you, Minako." Minato pointed out.

She smiled and stayed silent for a moment.

"Sometimes I get the feeling that this accident will be important somehow." Minako muttered at last.

"We should get some rest. I hope to see you tomorrow." Minato finally said, unsure of how to respond to his sister's words.

Simply nodding, Minako remembered that her hair clips were still lying there and she decided to put them back into her pocket.

**BGM~ Snowflakes (Persona 4 Golden)**

"Hey! It's snowing outside! That's rare considering the general climate of the island," the officer muttered to himself.

But his voice had carried down the hallway and into their room.

"Snow? I always wanted to play in the snow! Dad told me that it's soft and you can make snowballs and have a huge snowball fight. He promised that he'd take the whole family to a ski resort so that we could enjoy the snow together. Mom said that she'd prepare hot chocolate so we'd be warm." Minako remembered as she mused aloud.

"Snow is soft yet it makes me feel sad. It's like the sky is crying soft tears. Tears dry up and the snow will melt away. What am I saying? I'm a child now but snow is something we should enjoy. Our parents would want us to be happy so let's see if the officer will let us go see it. Our relatives won't come for us until daybreak so let's spend this time enjoying the snow fall." Minato suggested after shaking off the melancholy that had befallen him at first.

That said, the two children stood up and walked out of the room.

Their shoes tapped softly against the clear floor and were the only accompaniment to the silence of nighttime.

The officer was found reading a cooking catalog featuring a delicious carrot cake when he heard their footsteps and turned around to see the siblings with their unnaturally colored eyes.

"Can we go and see the snow?" Minako asked with her almighty puppy-dog eyes.

"It would mean a lot to us," Minato added with his bright princely smile.

The officer couldn't resist their pleading faces and quickly folded, "Of course, if you stay indoors."

Minako's face livened up as she dragged Minato to the nearest window.

The officer couldn't let them go outside since they did not have any form of winter wear but watching snow through the glass was something else.

The glass was like a window into another world and the snow–it mystified the siblings and added grandeur to what would otherwise be a dull reality.

Watching the little white spheres descend from the sky makes one feel the desire to catch the snowflakes with the palm of one's hand.

"It's beautiful!" Minako cheered in delight.

"I'm glad that we get to see it," Minato added.

The officer approached the children from behind and also took the time to be mesmerized by the snow.

"I have kids like you, you know? I have to do things so they'll keep smiling. I'm not sure if I'm doing a good job right now. I mean, I'm supposed to be at home with my kids right now but, after the accident, I was called in to take care of you guys. Don't take it the wrong way but I wonder how things would have gone for you guys if Officer Kurosawa was watching over you instead. Since the accident happened, he had to help out the other police officers. But me, I'm just a security guard from next door. You kids better get some sleep. Don't take too long or you might not grow up to be big and strong," The officer suggested lightly.

He then turned and walked back to the desk where his food is waiting to be finished.

Minako exhaled and saw her breath materialize in the cold air.

The white mist swirled around before disintegrating into the cold interior of the building and was enough of a sign for the two to get some rest.

Minato shivered a bit as he crossed his arms.

"It's getting really cold now. We should go back and sleep," Minako whispered, shuffling a bit closer to her brother.

Minato simply nodded and they head back to the couch.

**BGM~ Memories of the City (Persona 3)**

The officer was able to provide a blanket for the children to share.

The siblings were still on separate sides of the couch when they attempted to cover themselves but found that the blanket wasn't long enough to cover the distance between them.

Separation was the fate of all things.

Still…

"Um... Brother, is it okay if I come closer to you? I mean, isn't it better that we shorten the distance so that the blanket can cover both of us? It's just that…" Minako's stumbling words were cut short as her brother scooted closer to her while still being mindful of the hole.

"Like this?" Minato asked.

"Yeah, just like that," Minako replied.

It felt like the blanket had grown in size now that the siblings had closed the distance that the gap had made.

If only they could stay together forever but even forever ends at one point.

Eternity could be more of a curse than a blessing and change is necessary.

"I'm afraid that when I wake up tomorrow I won't see you right next to me. If that happens, don't forget me." Minato muttered.

As she began to doze off, Minako wasn't able to catch all of her brother's words but she managed to catch the end and smiled before gently kissing his cheek, causing Minato to blush at the gesture.

"I won't forget as long you don't forget your promise! If you do, I won't recognize you and I don't want you to be just a memory," Minako murmured softly, shifting closer to him.

Minato gently nudge his sister into resting her head on his lap and slowly stroked her hair.

"Don't forget your promise, okay?" Minato whispered soothingly as she finally slipped into dreamland.

It wasn't long after that he too dozed off into peaceful sleep.

But when morning came everything turned for the worse.

**BGM~ Living With Determination (Persona 3)**

When Minato woke up the next morning, he was startled to notice that Minako was nowhere to be found.

He looked around and noticed that the blanket was on the floor, yet there was no trace of his sister.

Minato walked out of the room, rubbing his eyes, and saw two strangers conversing with the officer.

They looked like sophisticated individuals but the rest of their features did not matter to Minato.

All that matter was…

"Excuse me, but where is my sister? She wasn't in the room and I was wondering…" Minato was cut short as the woman abruptly grabbed his hand.

"We have to go now. We don't want your studies to be cut into by something that now lives in the past," the woman told him bluntly.

"Hurry up! We have to go!" the man commanded in a demanding tone of voice.

Minato was quickly dragged outside as the officer waved goodbye with a big smile on his face, completely oblivious to what Minato must face on his own now.

He was without the missing piece that made his life much brighter.

He was without...Minako.

Elsewhere at the same time…

A muffled rumbling sounds was what she heard as Minako opened her eyes blearily,

Judging from the sun, it was morning and she nervously noticed that she was in a moving vehicle.

There was an unknown individual driving the vehicle but neither the features of the person nor the type of car mattered to her.

All that she really cared about was…

"Excuse me, but where is my brother? And where am I going?" Minako asked as she straightened up tensely.

Her mind fluttered with many unanswered questions but she only managed to ask those two important ones in particular.

"None of those things matter now. You must face only the troubles of today, not yesterday. We do not want anyone believing that you are weak and frail," the woman stated simply.

Minako didn't like how the woman was claiming that she was weak and frail.

But she didn't care about what other horrible things that this woman could come up with so long as she can reunite with her beloved brother.

The seasons passed as the two sibling grew up in different worlds.

Soon, they had forgotten that the other even existed.

Each was lost in the shade of memory.

Time marches on…

**Monday April 4, 2009**

**BGM~ None**

The passenger train "Anehazuru" was about to depart from the station.

A blue haired boy in his late teens was already inside the train.

He wore the uniform of the high school was going to attend.

He fiddled with his mp3 player and was about to put on his headphones until he heard a voice from a distance.

It was a girl's voice that shouted, "Wait!"

The boy puts his hand on the door before it slammed shut and the girl ran right in just in the nick of time.

Except that she had miscalculated her step and tripped, landing right on top the boy instead.

The other passengers stared in amusement as the two tried to recollect their belongings and regain their composure.

The occasional 'I'm sorry' escaped their lips as they finally straightened up before they paused and stared at each other.

The boy notice that the girl had striking red eyes and auburn hair that was tied into a fashionably messy ponytail.

But what really caught his eyes were her silver hair clips that took on the form of the Roman numeral 22: XXII.

On top of that, she wore the same high school uniform as he did, but for females.

"Minako?" he managed to ask after getting over his shock.

Upon hearing her name, the girl also had to pause for a moment to fully examine the boy.

The boy was tall but what caught her attention was his silver eyes and his blue hair; his bangs fell over and covered the right side of his face.

"Minato?" she wondered with wide, hopeful eyes as she extended a hand hesitantly, as if she were afraid that he was merely a figment of her imagination.

The boy gently grabbed her wrist and focused his eyes onto hers in reassurance before nodding firmly.

"It's you, Minato! It's really you!" Minako cried as she pulled her brother closer to her and into a warm hug.

Minato's face flushed as he knew that they were making quite a scene now but he still accepted her affections easily.

After a moment, Minako stepped aside and sat down as her brother followed her actions.

"It's been ten years since we last saw each other. We saw the snow together and we wished that we could stay together forever," Minato reminisced as he fumbled with the features of his MP3 player.

"Your MP3 player... It's the same as mine but my headphones are red instead of silver," Minako commented as she looked at her own and fiddled with the wire.

Minato nodded in agreement with her observation as the train slowly left the station.

It was getting pretty late into the night and not many words were exchanged amongst passengers as they listened to the rumbling of the train.

"Um... Brother? Thank you for keeping your promise to me. Otherwise, I might have never recognized you. If you didn't, then you would have been another person who would have reminded me of my brother. The same brother that would keep quiet and rarely smile and I thought I lost him in my memories but he's here now with me," Minako whispered, almost lamentably, as she was dozing off.

"It's late. You can rest on my lap like you always did when were little," Minato replied with a soothing tone.

Minako blushed at the suggestion but didn't refuse as she rested her head on his lap.

"It's like that night... You promised me that you'd grow out your hair and wear the hairpins that I got you for your birthday. And here you are right now, living up to your promise. Thank you," Minato murmured softly.

He stroked her cheek and noticed that she was sound asleep.

"This time... I promise that I'll be there when you wake up," Minato thought as he looked outside at the passing scenery.

The train had made considerable progress and he soon saw the lights that emanated from the city that they had once called home.

"Love you, Minato," Minako mumbled in her sleep.

Minato smiled at that sign of affection.

After years of separation, they now know that their promises weren't lost in the shade of memory.

**A/N: And that is it for the one shot! I personally think that it's a little cheesy, but I hoped that I could share this to the people of this website. I don't know when I'll write more but I promised it's not going to be like this. I might be a story with chapters or **_**ranks**_ **within them. Read and review please! Also please tell me your favorite parts! Don't forget to thank the people above! They deserve it! Sorry, I'm on fangirl mode right now…**


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